initial ideas

After forming our group, we discussed our initial ideas from the 16×9 film briefing. As a group, we agreed to focus on more of a personal idea of what London means to us. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, none of us being originally from the city, it’s interesting to explore how we felt moving to London. I feel strongly about creating a narrative which represents how we feel about the city, rather than touching on wider issues which could be problematic caused by lack of knowledge and life experience. We also agreed that the sound and grading of the film will be the most important aspects to convey this feeling, mood and tone.

We continued to explore different ideas for the type of film and narrative we would like to create. We have been asked to present 2-3 ideas next week with supporting treatments including mood, location, design, camera, lighting and casting.

Overview of initial group ideas

Written Text

• Using a piece of written text as the focus of our film

• Working from this narrative to create visuals, we would use it as the core basis for what the film looks like

• Focus could be seemingly mundane/unnoticed but we make it seem interesting and beautiful through hyper stylised filming. This narrative route we can all relate to as we have all experienced these everyday occurrences

• Reference “The Sound of Youth” short story

• Overheard Conversation/flashback to a memory of something we have seen

• Looking at ‘what you notice in our surroundings when we make an effort to look and appreciate’

The Painting

• London from the perspective of a painting

• Bring a character in a painting to life and work narrative around their life

• Personifying an object to view our surroundings from an alternative perspective

Relationships

• Create a narrative from the perspective of someone ‘people watching’ a couple in the street and imagining their story

• Look at loneliness in London by using a narrative that bases around a relationship (friend/couple) seems to suggest it is real but at the end it is revealed the are imaginary and the main character has made this other person up in an attempt to escape being lonely.

Documentary Style

• Follow some niche job/community in a documentary style footage that matches the tone of their job/community.

• Barber shops/nail shops in South London

Anxiety

• The panic/anxiety associated with the competitive atmosphere London fosters.

• 'Collective loneliness’

• Constant comparison

• Fast pace of city life, can easily cause panic and a feeling of inadequacy